Horses/Transcript
Transcript Text reads: The Mysteries of Life with Tim and Moby Tim is jogging. TIM: Wow, I'm making really good time today. Moby rides past Tim on a horse. MOBY: Beep. Moby drops a sheet of paper. Tim stops and reads from a typed letter at his feet. TIM: Dear Tim and Moby, Can you tell me all you know about horses? Thanks, Sally. Well, as you can see, horses are fast. But they're not just built for speed. In fact, horses are probably the most important animals ever domesticated by humans. Moby walks up to Tim. Moby is holding a puppy in one arm and leading a cow by a leash. MOBY: Beep. The cow moos, and the puppy barks. TIM: Sorry, guys. It's true. Horses are equids, a family of animals that includes zebras and donkeys. Images show a horse, a zebra, and a donkey. TIM: All equids are odd-toed ungulates, which translates to "hoofed mammals with large middle toes." An image shows a horse standing in a field. TIM: The outside of the hoof is made of keratin, the same stuff that forms human nails and hair. Side-by-side images show a horse's hoof and a human fingernail. TIM: The hooves support the weight of the entire horse, not to mention any robot that happens to be riding on top of it. MOBY: Beep. Moby rides by on a horse. The horse whinnies. TIM: Considering the average horse weighs about 450 kilograms, or half a ton, that's pretty impressive. The earliest horses appeared in North America more than 50 million years ago. As they evolved, they spread to other continents. An image shows a world map. A silhouette of a horse appears over North American, and then more pop up over South America, Africa, Asia, and Antarctica. TIM: Nobody knows exactly when wild horses were first domesticated, but the oldest signs date back to around 4,000 BCE. An image shows a person trying to control a wild horse. TIM: It was the start of a beautiful friendship. An animation shows that same person calmly riding the horse he tamed. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Well, what makes them so useful to humans is a combination of strength, speed, and versatility. Horses are powerful creatures, making them ideal for heavy-duty work like pulling plows for farmers. An image shows two horses pulling a plow in a field. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Good point. That is where the term "workhorse" comes from. Plus, almost all horses can carry humans on their back, so they're great for transportation. An image shows a person on horseback, along with another horse pulling a covered wagon. TIM: Horses are really speedy. Some gallop up to 80 kilometers per hour. With their ability to travel great distances, horses became essential for people like messengers and scouts. An image shows a person riding very quickly on horseback. TIM: Plus they were awesome in battle. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Well, for centuries people have been breeding horses to bring out different traits. A family tree-like illustration represents selective breeding of horses. Different parent combinations yield different-looking horses TIM: Today, there are more than 200 distinct breeds, most of which fall into one of three main categories. Hot-bloods, like Arabian and thoroughbred race horses, are lightweight and feisty, making them fast. An image shows an Arabian horse and a thoroughbred horse. TIM: Cold-bloods, including Belgians and Clydesdales, have muscular frames and calm personalities, making them perfect for pulling plows and wagons. An image shows a Belgian horse and a Clydesdale horse. TIM: And warm-bloods, like Lipizzaners, are a kind of mixture of the two. They combine the hot-bloods' speed and quickness with the cold-bloods' size and easy temperament. An image shows two Lipizzaner horses. TIM: Some of them are used for equestrian sporting events, like show-jumping. An image shows a horse and jockey jumping over a hurdle. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Nope. Cold-bloods aren't actually cold-blooded. They're warm-blooded like all other mammals. Hot-blood, cold-blood, and warm-blood are really just grouping nicknames. Images show a variety of different horses. TIM: Anyway, since the invention of the internal combustion engine, horses aren't as essential for work and travel anymore. An image of a horse is replaced by an image of an automobile. TIM: But they're still used all over the world in different ways, for transportation in some places, and in others for things like ranching, racing, police patrols. Images show horses performing the functions Tim describes. An animation shows a horse eating apples in front of a market. The market's owner yells at Tim and Moby. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Let's get out of here! Tim and Moby ride a horse together into a wilderness sunset. Category:BrainPOP Transcripts